Register mechanism



Feb. 9, 1943. I R PF- 2,310,296

REGISTER MECHANISM Filed 00t- \l9, 1959 INVENTOR Patented Feb. 9, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

Thepresent invention relates to register mechanisms and, more particularly, to mechanisms for registering'the revolutions of a rotating memher which are of the so-called driveless type and are self-contained and adapted to be mounted bodily on the rotating member.

It is an object of my invention to provide a register mechanism of the driveless type which is effective and accurate under all conditions of operation and which, in particular, is provided with stabilizing means for dampening the vibrations and shocks normally occurring when such mechanisms are used.

Another object of my invention is to provide a register'mechanism which is of an improved construction and compact design and which will not be susceptible to excessive wear and failure of themechanism, nor require the frequent replacements and adjustments characteristic of the prior art devices.

.A'further object of my invention is to provide a register mechanism which is adapted to be used for a variety of commercial purposes and which is provided with easily readable indicating means calibrated to read in any desired units such as miles, revolutions, yards, pieces and the like.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a register mechanismwhich positively registers both reverse and forward motion of the rotating member on which the same is mounted.

A well known register device of the prior art for registering the revolutions of a rotating member and which is mounted bodily on the rotating member is formed with a drive shaft which must be held in a fixed stationary position with respect to the rotating member and positioned at the axis of rotation. An apparent disadvantage of mechanisms of this type is that the same can be used only when means is available for supporting the driveshaft in the requiredmanner. Accordingly, for eXample, the mechanism cannot be mounted on the rear wheels of trucks and buses, which is a preferred type of mounting from a safety standpoint. In addition,,it is dif ficult to form devices of this type which are dust, oil and moisture-proof, and as a result, the'devices are quickly rendered inoperative, necessitating frequent cleaning and. adjustment.

A number of the above disadvantages of the prior art devices'have been avoided in register mechanisms of the so-called driveless type which require no stationary mounting means, and when positioned in a suitable casing are entirely self-contained. The principle of operation utilized in devices of this type is that a weight rotatably suspended within the casing may be made to actuate the registering mechanism. These devices, however, have not met with commercial success because it has been found that the vibrations and shocks when the mechanisms are used, for example, as the result of sudden stops, freqeuntly cause the suspended weights to oscillate to such an extent that the register mechanisms are actuated independently of the rotations of the member on which the same is mounted, thus rendering the readings inaccurate and undependable. In addition, such devices employed heretofore require a complicated arrangement and assembly of parts which effectively .prevents' the manufacture of small efficient units which may be contained in preferred mountings such as small hub caps and the like. The complicated mechanisms, moreover, show rapid wear and are frequently broken, thus necessitating frequent replacements and adjustments.

In accordance with my invention, I avoid the disadvantages of the prior art by providing an improved mechanism to be described more particularly hereinafter which is actuated and mounted within the casing by means of a driveshaft offset from the center of the register mechanism. This improved construction provides a register mechanism having a minimum of movable parts which are conveniently and compactly arranged and in which the deleterious effects of friction and inertia have been effectively minimized.

In conjunction with the improved mountin I prefer to use a liquid stabilizing means which cooperates with the mechanism to effectively dampen the oscillations of the mechanism and thus prevents the errors in registration discussed above in connection with devices of the prior art.

In order that my invention may be more clearly understood, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a front View of the register mechanism mounted in a casing;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional View taken along line 2-2 of Figure l and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a side view of the register mechanism; and

Figure 4 is a rear View partially in cross-section of the register mechanism.

Referring to the drawing, the register mechanism is mounted in a suitable casing I which is adapted to be mounted on a rotating member.

In the specific embodiment shown in the drawing, casing I is formed with a flange 2 having a plurality of bore holes 3 whereby the casing may be mounted, for example, on the hub of a bus or truck. It will be apparent that any other type of mounting means, such as threads and the like, may be utilized. The casing l is formed with a rear wall 4 upon which the register mechanism, to be described more particularly hereinafter is mounted rotatably. The front of the casing l is provided with an aperture 6 fitted with a window 2 through which the indicating mechanism may be read. The window I is supported by a gasket 8 and a ring e and maintained in moisture-proof contact by suitable fastening means, such as the screws if). The rear wall 4 and the means closing the aperture 6 provide a receptacle within which the register mechanism may be mounted rotatably and which is adapted to receive a pool of stabilizing liquid 30 to be described more particularly hereinafter. The register mechanism is mounted on the rear Wall 4 by means of a shaft H which is secured rigidly to the rear wall by means of a disc 12 and bolt l3 between which is received a gasket M to' form a moisture-proof connection.

Ihe register mechanism is preferably carrie on a frame i having a U-shaped cross-section. The drive shaft ll extends through the back of the frame [5 and is positioned therein by means of ball bearings 15. It is essential that the mounting of the shaft H within the frame 15 be disposed above the central axis of the frame and offset with respect thereto, whereby as the casing I rotates with the member on which thesame is mounted, the rear wall 4 secured rigidly to shaft ll causes the shaft to rotate with the rotating member while the mechanism positioned within the frame remains substantially stationary by reason of the offset mounting of the shaft H. The relative movement of shaft II with respect to frame I5 is utilized to actuate the indishaft H. The pawl 2| is maintained in engage-' ment with ratchet wheel 22 by means of a spring 24. Reverse movement of the ratchet wheel 22 is prevented by a detent 25 maintained in engagement with ratchet wheel 22 by means of spring 25. It will be apparent that as shaft l7 isrctated, an oscillating movement is imparted to pawl 21 by reason of its mounting on the eccentric 29. This oscillating movement of pawl 2! causes ratchet wheel 22 to revolve in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 3, and it will be apparent that this clockwise movement of ratchet Wheel 22 is independent of the direction of rotation of shaft l1. Accordingly, the device will measure positively both reverse and forward relative movement of the shaft l I with respect to the frame [5.

The shaft 23 is provided with a plurality of nurneral wheels 21, the lower order wheel being actuated directly by the ratchet wheel 22. Suitable transfer mechanism is provided between the lower and higher order of numeral wheels, such as the well known Geneva gearing, whereby the higher order numeral wheels register a predetermined number of rotations of the lower order numeral wheels. The front of the frame I5 is provided with a rectangular member 23 upon which is mounted a face plate 29 positioned adjacent the window 'I and having an aperture therein cooperating with the numeral wheels '2? whereby the numeral wheels may be readily read.

By reason of the single connection of the register mechanism to the casing by means of driveshaft 5 i which is mounted in the register mechanism frame by means of ball bearings l6, and in view of the compact arrangement of a relatively small number of parts, the friction and inertia normally operating to rotate the register mechanism about the axis of the device and thus render the readings inaccurate, has been effectively minimized.

To insure that rotation of the register mechanism about the axis of the device will be effectively avoided, I prefer to partially fill the receptacle portion of easing l with a small amount of liquid 3B which acts to dampen oscillations of the register mechanism and tends tomaintain the mechanism in an even plane. I do not wish to be restricted to the use of any specific stabilizing means,- and it is believed that any junctuous liquid having non-corrosive characteristics will be effective. In general, I have found that a light mineral oil or mineral oil fraction will provide desirable results. that by reason of the offset mounting of the regisiter mechanism, there is provided an effective lever arm upon which the stabilizing liquid may act.

It will be apparent from the above disclosure that my invention provides a compact register mechanism which may be mounted effectively in any desired type of casing and in connection with any of the usual type of rotating members, such as automobile wheels, elevator motors, manufacturing apparatus, and the like. The device may be calibrated to read in terms of revolutions, yards, pieces, etc., depending upon the particula use contemplated. I

It will be apparent that my invention maybe varied by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention and all such variations are intended to be included within the scope of the 'following'claim:

I claim:

A register device adapted to be mounted on a rotatable element for visibly indicating thenumber of rotations thereof comprising a casing havmg a window mounted therein forming a sub-' stantially liquid proof enclosed chamber, a drive shaft disposed within the chamber and fixed onthe casing, a register mechanism mounted rotatably on the drive shaft with its center of gravity below the shaft, indicator wheels mounted on said register mechanism and adapted to be viewed through the window in said casing, means including a worm mounted on the shaft for driving the indicator wheels upon relative rotation of the mechanism and the drive shaft, and an unctuousliquid present in said chamber in an amount just sufilcient to cover the lower portion of the register mechanism when the device is at rest. 1

- Q PAUL KNOPIEK It is tobe noted 

